Saturday, 18 September 2010

PPN Pea lasagne

I had brunch with a friend today who asked what I had been cooking lately. Sadly, I had to tell him not a lot was going on in my kitchen recently. Very little in the way of new ideas. Some good old ones. My most creative moments have come with lasagne.

I recently made a lovely chana masala with the leftovers going into a potato and carrot mash. Tonight I made a great stew on soft polenta a bit like this dish but with more vegetables and beans. Not all my recent efforts have been successful. I have had mushy rice-noodle soup, an underseasoned miso soup (which wasn’t so bad for a headache) and oversweet pancakes.

After my delicious tofu-ricotta, pumpkin and zucchini lasagne, I had 'fresh' lasagne sheets left in the fridge. (Not quite enough for the lasagne as you can see in my photo but close enough!) It occurred to me to use it to make dumplings or cannelloni but in the end I went for the easy option and made more lasagne. I also used up leftover tofu, pesto, passata and cashews!

[Cashews!!! So that is where those cashews went! I spent quite a bit of time this evening looking for them.]

I hadn’t been to the shops so I was using what was at hand. Peas from the freezer were the main vegetable. Partly because I didn’t have many other vegetables and partly because I have been thinking about making a pea filled pasta ever since seeing this pea cannelloni and these pea dumplings. I used some silken tofu in the filling and then rather than having leftovers I decided to make a tofu sour cream. It also seemed easier than making a béchamel sauce.

E loved this lasagne. He preferred it to the tofu ricotta one because it was creamier and had a tomato sauce. I enjoyed it but preferred the previous one because it was lighter and seemed to have more vegetables. In fact if I had had any fresh tomatoes on hand I would have used them instead of the tomato sauce. I also preferred the crispy crunchy topping of the tofu ricotta lasagne. But peas and pasta seem a fine combination so below is what I did.

To make tomato sauce fry onion in olive oil in a frypan until browned. Add garlic and continue frying for a minute. Deglaze with wine. Add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Remove from heat.

To make tofu sour cream: blend all ingredients in a food processor.

Grease a lasagne dish and spread a spoonful or two along the bottom of the dish. Lay lasagne sheets on top. Spread pea filling. Top with more lasagne sheets. Repeat pea and lasagne sheets layers. Spread tomato sauce over lasagne sheets. Dollop sour cream over the tomato sauce and gently spread evenly over the tomato sauce with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with cheese and seeds. Bake at 210 C for 40-45 minutes until golden and crispy on top.

I thought I spotted poppy seeds! What a wonderfully inventive recipe for a "from the pantry"-ish meal. Woscestershire sauce, peas, and nutritional yeast... I reckon you're well qualified to not cook anything else new for a week, riding on the coat-tails of this creativity! :D

This looks wonderful. I'm not sure which one I'd prefer, the previous lasagna or this one--I think I would love them both! Such creative fillings--I would never have thought to combine peas, tomatoes and tofu sour cream but it sounds as if they'd work together beautifully. And from the list you rhymed off, I'd say you've been doing LOTS in the kitchen! :)

Thanks Jess - I first heard of umeboshi vinegar when looking for fish sauce substitutions - I sometimes mix a bit with soy sauce for this purpose

Thanks for the recommendation Freya - never heard of it but am always on the look out for a good veg pasta cookbook

Thanks Hannah - I will take my brownie points for creativity - not much energy for lots of cooking - but I can say that poppy seeds and sesame seeds on lasagne is quite a regular thing with me - got it from a vegan cookbook soon after I went vego

Thanks Amacuba - glad the cooking is still inspiring - hope you don't leave it too long to come back again

Thanks Widge and Vegiebug

Thanks Rachel - never had peas in tortellini but sounds great

Thanks Sweet Artichoke - yes I am a big fan of the pairing

Thanks Lysy - I don't make lasagne often because it is time consuming but it usually feeds us for a few nights and is so yummy that I am always glad when I do

Thanks Ricki - we had takeaway pizza the other night and I just thought I could have made a much nicer healthier dinner for little energy - so I keep cooking even if not trying new stuff

Thanks Matilda - the idea of white lasagna is not for me as I love colour but I agree that too much bechamel sauce is too heavy and I am pleased to find tofu is so much lighter and just as yummy if flavoured well

Thanks Jodye - I can't recommend home made lasange highly enough - it is the path to culinary happiness

Thanks Lisa

Thanks Carla - I have had my umeboshi vinegar for ages - I think I got it at wholefoods in fitzroy - if you just can't find it I could donate some of my bottle as I don't use it much

Thanks Val - definitely and with peas in the freezer and lasagne in the cupboard is it a great pantry-staples lasagne

Thanks Nic - peas and nuts is a more recent love - I think it started with Jacqueline's pea pesto which has cashews!

Peas are one of my favourite foods so this lasagna definitely speaks to me! I love the look of the sesame and poppy seeds on top. You know I'd never heard of passata until looking through a new vegetarian cookbook a couple of days ago and now I've seen it on your blog!

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Recipes and reflections in which our vegetarian heroine dreams of being tall and graceful as a giraffe; being a goddess in the kitchen; and being gladdened by green gadgets, green food and green politics because green is the colour of hope. See About Me for more info.